The power of a Horse
by aberaham tulip
Summary: Au: After the nine tails's attack a strange merchant moves into town. Twelve years later he can no longer run from his past, not after glancing into the sad eyes of a hyper active blond. But what does the great horse have to do with Naruto? NarutoHinata
1. Chapter 1

So this is my first Naruto fic and yes it's one of those: what if Naruto's childhood had been different/ had a different team types. As it is I'm adding a single character to his past and I'll probably heavily change his team, cause even though I love the show, if I just retell that story why should you read this anyhoo, have a nice day. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I own no characters that belong to the actual show and frankly I hope no one sues me. 

Prologue

Years later the people of Konohana would still remember the events following that fateful exam. The  
communal memory went something like this: At first the konohana ninjas were badly outnumbered, having  
to split their numbers between dealing with the sound and sand nin and ushering the civilians, both local and  
foreign, to safety. Despite this the ninjas of the village of the hidden leaf were not only holding their own, but  
slowly gaining the advantage. Still, the sound and sand nin were demanding a heavy toll of the defenders,  
slaying more with each passing minute. Then a wild whoop filled the air and the town was filled with energetic  
orange figures. No one really knows if there were hundreds or thousands of the jubilant clones, but the one  
thing everyone can agree upon is that they swarmed the village like a horde of locusts. Their fists and battle  
cries struck out at the bodies of the invading nins. For every clone defeated more would appear, leaping over  
buildings eager to join the fight.

The clones even made it to the outskirts of the village, by a memorial stone, in their search for more opponents.  
There they found an unexpected one. A man with gray hair snarled as he saw them, screaming defiance and  
throwing senbon and kunai at the surprised shadow clones. The clones disappeared and more took their place.  
These were not confused at all and lashed out at the man wearing glasses. For his part Kabuto demonstrated  
far more skill than a genin could be said to possess, for he struck down each of these easily as well. No more  
appeared and he took a moment to gather his senses. With a smile he realized that the clones had not been  
looking for him, and it was merely his own nerves that had caused him to destroy both the batches. His cover  
was still safe.

A loud voice dispelled the illusion Kabuto was weaving for himself. Another blonde orange clothed body  
slammed into Kabuto, sending his glasses sprawling, amidst a cry of "traitor". The blond shape regained his  
feet faster than kabuto did. Huffing a little Naruto glared at the silver haired traitor. A smirk lit up Kabuto's  
bloodied face.

"So you know my secret eh Kyubbi? Well I guess I'll just have to make sure you take it to the grave."

Ignoring Naruto's angry retort the sound spy pounced only to find him self falling through his target, a simple illusion.   
But how was that possible? He hadn't taken his eyes off the one that had punched him. A yell from behind stopped his  
wondering thoughts, forcing kabuto to take the defensive to avoided further pain.

The blond demon host roared and attacked, sending punch after punch at his target. Several landed, forcing grunts  
from the traitor. Naruto didn't come away unscathed though, small cuts from a kunai as well as several senbon appeared  
upon his flesh. From those small wounds fire seemed to spread. With every punch Naruto through it seemed as if the  
burning got worse and an new piece of him was affected and he lost a little bit of speed.

When his movements slowed and Kabuto landed a solid kick that knocked the blonde down, naruto decided to play  
it smarter. Forcing himself up Naruto attempted to force his hands to make the familiar seals to summon more clones.   
The poison made his attempts sloppy though, the heat and pain conspiring to make his normally nimble hands slow and ungainly.   
Still he forced himself to make seals, never noticing that his sloppy hands created other ones, as the fingers slid into unusual positions.   
A gnawing hunger seemed to form in his finger tips, as if the juetsu needed more energy. He tried to give it more, but was surprised  
when it seemed as if the juetsu itself was simply siphoning what it needed. More and more power found its way in, as he molded the  
chakra into a technique he'd never heard of.

For a few seconds nothing happened as Kabuto grinned at the poisoned genin. Then darkness spread from Naruto's fingertips.

The clones were making a difference. Still many of the more elite enemies were able to hold their own, staving off many of the clones  
with well placed single strikes. And then every thing changed again. With a roar a shadowy figure emerged on the outskirts of the village  
and then, as one the clones smiled. Each gave a different battle cry, but their next actions were all the same. Hundreds, if not thousands,  
of hands moved in unison, forming seals in an order no one had ever seen before. As each one finished they bellowed out armure d'obscurité.  
A black substance spread from their fingertips, coating first their hands, then their arms, and so on until they were all covered in a shield of shadow.  
Then they resumed their battles. Their black arms struck harder, harming even the most accomplished enemy shinobi. Their bodies moved  
faster allowing them to evade and strike far more often than before. No longer did they vanish upon a single hit. Each clone easily took  
a beating before allowing others to take its place. Dodging and weaving, casting juetsu and throwing punches, the clones quickly whittled  
down the opposition, leaving little but squad after squad of unconscious and bleeding enemies behind. Finally there was nothing left for them  
except a giant barrier and they destroyed even that. Later two dead bodies would be found on a rooftop surrounded by a small army.

At least that's all everyone can agree on. The real story is slightly more involved. And it starts a long time ago. Around twelve years actually,  
with the arrival of a merchant.


	2. The merchant arrives

A/N I still don't own naruto. Jeez I hope this story doesn't suck. Next chapter brings us to the present, about where the show picks up.

The Merchant of Konohana

12 years ago.

The day was hot and humid, like all the days he'd spent in this damned country.   
The man currently thinking that thought was also wondering why he'd chosen  
moving to this stupid country instead of a nice agonizing death in a decent climate.

At this point this man was in his mid twenties but did not look it. Already his hair  
was thinning a great deal and his rotund belly mocked his actual age. Overall he  
looked like a typical middle age man, for his country at least.

Sighing he forced himself forward, and the word forced only applies because like  
many of his people he was a bit of a drama queen and the heat and high humidity were  
not helping his mood.

"No wonder this place is called the damn Fire country," he muttered to himself as he  
continued on.

He sighed again, which was a waste of breath since there was no one to hear him.   
The only things around him were trees. Which brought up an interesting question.   
Where were all the animals? He was pretty sure you got them in forests. Of course he  
hadn't been in one since he was a kid. Oh well, maybe they were south for the winter,  
or north for the summer, or whatever else stupid animals did to occupy their time. But...  
well none of that did a thing to explain why the further in the forest he went the more fallen  
trees there were. Not that he was complaining of course. As annoying as it was to climb  
over the damn things, or find another way around them, the fallen trees were fare less of a  
pain in the ass than the upright ones. He couldn't figure out if he was even headed in the  
right direction. Village hidden in the leaves indeed. Well, at least it wasn't false advertising.  
Not that, that little fact was much consolation. Oh well nothing to it to keep walking and hope  
he stumbled upon the damn place.

Eventually he did indeed stumble upon the village and was quite shocked at what he saw.   
People everywhere were injured, homes were wrecked, and everyone seemed to be in a state  
of shock. Maybe it had something to do with all the damn trees being knocked down and the  
happy lack of animals. Oh well he was there, that was all that mattered.

Setting down the heavy pack that currently held all his worldly goods the man looked around,  
trying to get his bearings. First things had to come first after all. Normally he'd ask around what  
happened and after he had a satisfactory answer try and get a feel for the town. The second he  
knew what was needed he'd open shop. Given the state of the people he'd probably reconsider  
that and try and open up shop first. It was not that he was heartless, far from it, and while he may  
not have graduated from medical school he knew it was a really dumb idea to keep people  
wounded people out in a dusty street. Jeez hadn't anyone heard of pavements around here.   
Oh well, that was all wishful thinking. Ms. Hergel had made it very clear. Upon arriving he was to  
find and meet the guy in charge of this place, the Hokage, or something. Anything else would be  
"an act of extreme disrespect and foolishness." Since he was no longer "in the west where manners  
did not count." He figured the last part was probably a joke. Anita had a funny sense of humor these  
days.

Anyway first the Hokage then, assuming he didn't make some mistake that would get his head  
cut off or whatever they did around here if they didn't like you, he'd set up shop and try to help  
some of the wounded. After that he'd try and get a feel for the town, not that mattered, he was  
stuck here after all.

And so Konohona's first banker set off for Hokage tower. Which, all things considered was easier said then done.

He'd figured the place he'd be looking for would be the tallest in the damn village, after all it  
was where the head was right? Unfortunately it was quite hard to figure out which of the damn  
buildings was the tallest, since quite a few of the larger ones were missing several stories. He  
didn't want to know what had caused the damage. He just really didn't. What he wanted was  
to see this damn Hokage, and then move on with his day. No, that wasn't true. What he really  
wanted was to wake up and find out everything had simply been a horrific dream or, barring that,  
that everything had been cleared up, his life was no longer in danger and he didn't have to live in a  
village with damn ninjas in a country that was simply a massive sauna in disguise.

He would have continued wondering and silently bitching, if not a single word caught his attention.  
There were other words surrounding that one word, but he couldn't understand them. Currently he  
was a little out of the loop when it came to the lingo of this place, but he'd catch on, he'd have to.

Without further ado, he used a simply process of elimination to figure out which was the hokage.  
Unfortunately it appeared to be the dead guy in the middle of the street. Well, that would be just  
his luck. On the plus side, it seemed like the old guy holding a rather energetic baby was currently  
in charge, well if the way everyone came rushing to him for directions was any indication. Oh well  
it was just time to interrupt family time.

Walking forward he thrust the letter that had been clutched safely in his hand out to the old man,  
who greeted him with a puzzled look in return. Sighing more loudly than the situation warranted the  
man bowed and then reached out and took the baby, who had mere seconds before had decided to  
place his boundless energy in crying and screaming.

After the baby and letter had been exchanged and the child had calmed a bit, thanks to a very  
subtle rocking motion, the old man started to read the letter. When the old man had finished he made  
a few hand signs that were unrecognizable to the foreigner.

The old man's mouth opened.

"You would be Mr. Fred Mortinson would you not?"

Fred was a bit astonished, but that was only cause he didn't think ninjas used the same  
bag of tricks as Anita. Well, except for those weird hand motions. Oh well might was well  
hope that they weren't some curiosity thing since he couldn't do them while holding the baby  
in his arms.

"Yes, I take it you are the Hokage-sama? I am here to introduce myself."

The old man gave a sad chuckle.

"Thank you for attempting to follow our customs Mister Mortinson but at such a time I am  
afraid customs must take a back seat to necessity. I have little time to greet you properly or  
discuss your business. Our village has just been attacked and I need to see to my people's safety.   
Now if you wouldn't mind returning the child..."

"Of course. One thing before you go running off. If it is alright I would like to set up shop, any  
large open building would do."

"At a time like this? I have heard rumors about your country Mr. Mortison but I had dismissed them  
up till now. If you wish to stay here you may need to reconsider your priorities."

Mr. Mortison wanted to flinch, but he'd be damned if some freaking self important asshole of a mayor,  
or something, was gonna intimidate him when people needed help.

"I think you misunderstood sir. I wish to help your people, right away, for free. I have had more than a  
little training in first aid and I'll need a place to work, beside the street if you don't mind."

The Hokage's eyes drifted as Fred spoke, seeking and finding the small patch upon the foreigner's cloths.  
Nodding his head in understanding the Hokage barked out a few commands in a language that Fred did not  
understand and then made more hand signs.

"Follow this man, he will direct you to a suitable work space. We will talk when everything settles down."

With a nod Fred followed the designated retainer, more than ready to get to work.

In retrospect he really should have asked about the child, but he'd been too self absorbed to notice the look the villagers were giving it. 


	3. Our story begins

A/n Hillo, it was brought to my attention that I made a rather large mistak  
in the prologue, one I'd like to correct. The prologue takes place during the  
events of the Chunnin exam shown in the anime, which occurs either at the  
end of this story, or very nearly so. The first chapter details the arrival of an  
O.C. character from the Western Hemisphere, where things are very different,  
and occurs twelve years before the start of the anime.

This chapter picks up where the anime begins. I have left out the part where  
Naruto finds out about the Kyubbi as well as the failed gennin exam. I have  
not changed these events and as such figured the show describes them well  
enough.

Also there is another small mistake in chapter two. In chapter two I used the  
word banker to describe Fred Mortinson, I meant bokar. Sorry for that,  
what that is will be explained in the next chapter.

Also in this chapter I refer to an even three years ago that never occurs in the anime...  
I will most likely go into it in a flashback when it seems to fit, until such a time though  
I plan on leaving it as described in this chapter... if either of these omissions really bother  
any readers review and let me know and I'll work them into the next chapter. Sorry this  
took so long but I wanted to make it longer than the last two.

I would love some more reviews. Currently I have only one and it feels lonely.

Oh also a warning there is some cursing in this chapter, I think this fic is still pg-13, but if  
anyone is overly offended comment, let me know and I'll reclassify the fic as a mature fic.

0000

Now

A blonde blur raced across the town of Konohana. It jump and ducked, avoiding as many  
innocent bystanders as possible, ignoring those that it knocked over during its mad dash.  
Above the blur, dozens of figures raced across the rooftops, hoping to slowly close the distance  
between them and the blond trouble maker. Naruto didn't make it easy for them. With a final  
movement he ducked off the busy street and into an innocuous store.

Fred Mortinson stared off into the space of his store. It had been a slow morning and that was in  
its own way somehow fitting. He wasn't sure exactly why, but it was definitely fitting that this day was both  
boring and aggravating as hell. He'd just payed for a new shipment of foreign goods and of course not a  
single customer waltzed through the door. He'd even payed extra to get the shipment sent over the day  
before the gennin test. Oh well, he'd just have to make it to the end of the day and then tomorrow would be  
better. After all, just because this day marked both the thirteenth year of his exile and the twelfth year of his  
stay in this bloody village, that was nothing to complain about. Not in the least.

Well he might as well restock the shelves... again.

And he just might have done that if he hadn't been interrupted by his front door slamming open. The blonde figure  
of Uzamaki Naruto raced into the shop, a sheepish grin already working its way onto his face. The grin was one  
that Fred had grown far, far too accustomed to over the years. It meant the little blonde had at least half of the fucking  
Jonins in the village chasing him. And if Naruto had ducked into the shop that meant the Jonin were close behind.  
Sighing Fred jerked a thumb towards the staircase behind him.

"Alright go hide. I want details later."

Without sparing a word the blonde trouble maker did just that. Sighing Fred prepared for another troublesome  
encounter with the village's jonin.

0000

There was a loft above Fred Mortinson's shop. It was a small affair, a single room with enough space for a small  
kitchen, a sink, a bathroom, a bed, a couch and not much else. Currently it also contained an energetic blonde. His  
name was Uzamaki Naruto and he was the village prankster. Well, he was more than that really. He was also the village  
scapegoat. If a sign broke or a coin went missing the villages seemed to delight in taking it out on him and if they couldn't  
find anything to blame him for they settled for glaring at him as much as possible and hurling slurs and insults at him. He  
couldn't think what he'd done to deserve it. Okay so he was pretty much responsible for just about every prank that had  
occurred in Konohana in the last couple of years, but that's just cause the villagers ignored him. If they just treated him with  
respect, or even a little common decency he wouldn't need to prank them.

That was why he'd never pranked Hyyuga Hinata and Fred Mortinson. The odd girl and foreigner were a rarity in the young  
boy's life.

Hinata had never once hurled an insult at him, though to be honest she'd never said anything nice to him either. Truth be told she  
didn't say much of anything, just turned bright red and poked her fingers together every time he came close. At first he'd assumed  
she'd been like the others, but over the years her quite encouragement, the whispers she didn't think he could hear, and  
Mortinson-san's assurances that the girl was just shy, had convinced him otherwise. Right now she was the closest thing he  
had to a friend. Besides Fred-san.

The odd shopkeeper was an even bigger mystery to Naruto. A mystery that the young boy had no way of solving. Naruto  
had first met Fred-san about three years ago, maybe a little more and even then the odd shopkeeper had seemed familiar.  
Well, he had first really got to know the man three years ago. He'd shopped at Fred-san's before. It wasn't like Naruto had, had  
much choice in the matter. Fred-san was one of the few shopkeeper's who would actually sell to the boy. Mostly the shopkeepers  
in town just called him names and threw him out, not caring that he had more than enough money to pay for what he wanted.  
There was currently a grand total of three shops in the whole of Konohana that would not throw Naruto out: the boy's favorite  
restaurant, the ramen stand; Hibake's, a rather small grocery store; and Merchant's Wares, Fred-san's shop.

Well all that would change when he became Hokage. Then the villagers would have to notice him and give him the respect he  
deserved. There'd be no butts about it. When he was Hokage those snooty shopkeepers would have to let him in. Believe it!  
He'd just have to wait and speaking of waiting shouldn't the Jonin have been gone by now? They'd never harassed Fred-san  
for this long before. Of course Naruto had never defaced the Hokage monument before today.

As if on cue the yelling subsided. The sudden silence brought Naruto from his thoughts. He paused waiting to see what  
would happen next. Was that voice he'd heard Iruka-sensi's? He hadn't been paying near enough attention. If he had he'd  
know what was gonna happen next. Fred-san could handle any other Jonin, Naruto was sure of that. Iruka-sensi was another  
story.

Iruka-sensi always managed to find Naruto no matter where the trickster hid and the blonde was perfectly aware of that.  
Iruka-sensi was another of the rarity's in the village. While Iruka-sensi yelled at Naruto all the time, the young boy could at  
least admit that it was warranted most of the time. Even Fred-san said that Iruka-sensi wasn't "an idiot", which coming from  
the jaded shopkeeper was a major compliment.

"Hey Naruto it's safe to come down now. The hard assess left."

Smiling Naruto headed down the staircase.

He found Fred-san sitting on the stool behind the counter. The shopkeeper was staring out at the shop. The shop consisted of  
two shelves that divided the shop into three isles. Goods lined both sides of the shelves as well as the two walls that did not  
contain either the counter or the entrance to the store. The merchandise, as always, was quite varied. Fred-san made it a point  
to carry an assortment of goods ranging from the common to the exotic. Inside the store Fred-san had accumulated a sampling  
of the weapons and other cultural items of most of the countries on the continent. He even had some items from the West and  
some items that could only be found at other hidden ninja villages. Even Naruto didn't know how he got them. And every time  
he asked Fred-san would just smile an annoying smile and start humming. It drove him crazy! Believe it!

The merchant turned and smiled at Naruto as the boy descended the staircase, which caused the boy to fume on the inside.  
He was so sure he hadn't made a sound. Heedless of Naruto's internal frustration Fred began to speak.

"Well it looks like I'll be getting another invitation to visit the Hokage. Not like the old man ever bothers to come here. Hey  
look why don't I close up shop and then we can head off to lunch and you can tell me all about it. Ramen okay?"

A brilliant grin spread across Naruto's face as Fred-san asked the question. There was only one appropriate response to such  
a question. Smiling and giving a thumbs up, the blonde energetically replied.

"Believe it!"

0000

Naruto was having a great time. Not only had he managed to pull off the ultimate prank, he hadn't got caught... yet. Apparently   
Iruka-sensi hadn't been the one arguing with Fred-san. It was just a few Jonin, and as usual Fred-san eventually caused them to  
go away, not that the boy had any clue how. Not that it had mattered, even if it had been Iruka-sensei Naruto would have gotten  
away. It always took a few hours before Iruka-sensei managed to catch him, not including any time he spent hiding in Fred-san's  
shop. He'd probably need to start running again. But no matter. Right now was a time for celebration. He'd pulled off his biggest  
prank yet, managed to elude all pursuers for several hours and now he it was time for Ramen!

His excitement grew as another bowl was poured for him. With an incredible speed, he shoveled spoonful after spoonful into his  
mouth, somehow managing to taste every morsel. He couldn't be happier. That is until he heard a throat clear.

Naruto paused mid-boast. He'd been in the middle of another loud tale of one of his hilarious pranks when the interruption had  
occurred. Spinning slowly on his seat, turning away from the small shop, Naruto saw a familiar man. Glaring at him was Iruka-sensi.  
Naruto felt a grin crack his face. Well it looked like his day was just about to get better.

Laughing the entire time Naruto bolted from his chair as behind him Iruka gave chase.

Sighing, even as a small grin made its way onto his face, Fred pulled out the coins to pay for the meal. At least the boy was happy.  
It was too bad really. Naruto had such potential. Not only because of what was inside him. The boy was kind, caring, and strong in all the  
ways that actually mattered. He'd have made a great bokar.

The errant thought sobered the man a little, stealing away some of his good mood. This effect ended rather quickly when he heard another joyous whoop  
from the blonde boy. Fred's eyes met those of the chef of the little shop. They shared an expression that only those who  
cared about the boy, and knew he was capable of great things, would understand. Then Fred carefully counted out only the amount asked  
of him. He'd learned long ago not to insult the shopkeeper by trying to pay full price for Naruto's meals. The boy still didn't know that the  
ramen vendor gave him a discount on his food, a discount that quickly added up considering the amount that Naruto ate. Instead, Fred  
contented himself with giving the friendly chef a private discount as well. The chef often came in for exotic seasonings in a very successful  
attempt to make his ramen the best in town.

Oh well nothing it to it but to return to the store. Hopefully Iruka would manage to catch Naruto in a reasonable amount of time. Otherwise Fred  
and Naruto would be having a late dinner. Normally the shopkeeper wouldn't care much, but seeing as how the Gennin exams were only a few  
days away he figured Naruto should get as much sleep as possible, in order to be prepared.

000

Fred Mortinson sighed. A few days had passed since Naruto's little prank and of course the boy had been punished. Granted the punishment  
was to clean up the mess, but still... Aw who the fuck was he kidding? He was biased as all hell. After all that was why he hadn't opened up  
the shop for the day wasn't it? With Naruto safely at school and worrying about that gennin exam thing, he had the day free to prepare. He  
had to make it good, after all it wasn't like anyone else was gonna remember the boy's birthday.

Well, maybe they'd remember the date, after all it was the date their village had been saved from a 'demon' but that wasn't the same thing as  
saying happy birthday to a little kid who had no idea of the burden that had been placed on him.

Still hopefully the examine would go well. Either way though, Fred planned to prepare a celebration that naruto wouldn't forget. It shouldn't be  
that hard, he thought bitterly. All he really had to do was actually say happy birthday and give the kid half a slice of cake.

Of course he was at least partly to blame. Despite the fact that Naruto had been living with him for three years he'd only managed to figure out  
the day the kid had been born this damn year. Granted the stupid villagers didn't make it easy and Naruto refused to speak up on the subject,  
merely frowning and plastering on a fake smile along with a subject change as quickly as possible. Sometimes Fred wondered if the kid even  
knew when his birthday was. Well either way things were gonna change starting tonight. It had taken a large amount of: time, sucking up, and  
outside the box thinking to figure out that Naruto had been born on the day the Kyubbi died.

Of course that piece of jealously guarded information had explained a lot. First off now Fred knew why the fourth was dead and how the idiot  
had managed to bind the Loa into the boy. And he knew how far behind the stupid shinobi were in dealing with Loa's. To use that fucking ritual  
of all rituals... If anything he'd heard about the fourth was true, then the ritual used on Naruto had to be the only one the fourth had known. Which  
meant that these ninjas were far behind the curve on Loa management.

He could really use a drink... but then Naruto's cake wouldn't get made... oh well he could reflect as he baked. Time to start making up for years  
of missed birthdays. He had a lot of work to do.

000

Despite himself Fred was starting g to get worried. Night had started falling and the exams had ended over several hours ago. When Naruto  
hadn't burst through the door immediately after the exam, he'd figured the boy must have failed. That was the only reasonable explanation for  
the lack of an enthusiastic blonde. Still, Fred had figured the boy would eventually make his way home. So Fred had waited. This was getting a bit ridiculous though...

There was a knock on the door and Fred relaxed figuring that would be Naruto home at last. Well considering the day, he could forgive the boy his lateness.  
It was funny he was so relieved he wouldn't even bother acting angry at the boy. Totally unlike him, that was for sure.

Fred's relief faded. At the door was a helpful, earnest face that he had grown far too used to over the years.

"The Hokage wishes to see you," the aid said.

000

Night faded into day and the elation Naruto felt at being allowed to graduate faded. Even the joy of free ramen faded. He was a monster. That was why  
everyone in the village hated him. Inside he had a disgusting horrible monster that had killed so many people... but Iruka-san had still saved him... why?  
Well that bastard who'd tricked him had called him a prison. Maybe... just maybe if he died the Kyubbi would be free... was that why Iruka had saved him...  
maybe it was because Iruka wanted to kill him one day... maybe Iruka really did care...

Naruto would have continued tormenting himself with questions and thoughts that he could not answer, but at this point he reached the small yard of the place  
where he lived with Fred-san. The older man was waiting for him at the small picnic table that they kept out there. He gestured for the boy to sit, and Naruto  
did so, too exhausted and miserable to argue.

A nasty thought flashed through his head. Would Fred-san want to keep him if his secret came out? Probably not. Maybe he already knew... but he couldn't...  
Fred-san would have said something... they were friends. Naruto's thoughts died into silence as he realized Fred-san was waiting for him to pay attention.

The older man locked gazes with Naruto. Staring deep into his eyes Fred-san spoke quietly.

"So I guess you know now?"

The meaning of the words sunk in with comical slowness. Naruto couldn't be hearing what he thought he was hearing... and yet he was. Fred-san knew. How  
long had he known? Had he always known? Naruto had to find out.

"How long?" the question came out as a growl, but it didn't seem to bother Fred

"Three years now."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it. Fred-san had known the entire time and hadn't said a thing. Not a thing! How could the stupid merchant keep  
something like that a secret. There were supposed to be friends... no more than that. Fred-san was the closest thing he'd had to a family and the stupid baka  
had lied to him for three years! How could the baka do that. Stupid fat old man. It wasn't right.

Well it wasn't the end of the world was it? He could probably get his old apartment back, even though it had been three years. Of course none of that answered  
the important question, the one that was keeping the young boy from descending into a quagmire of rage and anger. If Fred had known this entire time why bother  
to let him stay? Why didn't Fred treat him like the rest of the villagers? Why did Fred feed him, house him and clothe him for three years and still lie to him. It didn't  
make sense. Why would Fred take care of a monster like him? It just didn't make any sense!

Fred sat across the table from Naruto, sighing softly, safe inside the confines of his own head. He knew this was going to happen, well not this exactly, but something  
damn similar. Stupid fucking hokage and his stupid fucking rules. Never before had Fred wished more that he'd just spoken out, told Naruto about the damn fox when  
he'd first asked the boy to live with him. Learning that you were the keeper of an incredibly vicious and powerful demon hell bent on destroying everything was hard  
enough, but to learn the way Naruto had, at the lips of an enemy... Damn Saratobi and his stupid rule. And while he was at it damn him for even following it.

Enough self pity, he told himself. He could beat him self up later, preferably with the aid of a pint of rum. Right now there was more important things than regrets. The  
boy across the table might think that he couldn't see the turmoil lurking beneath the surface, but he could indeed. He might have been retired for the last thirteen years  
but some things just don't fade. Reading people was one of those things.

Right now he could easily tell the question Naruto wanted to ask. It was the only one left after the kind of betrayal the boy had suffered. Waiting, Fred decided to  
answer it truthfully when the boy finally asked it, Hokage be damned.

For his part Naruto was still wrestling with his anger. In a sense he was losing. With each passing moment more anger appeared, but it erased the  
fear in his heart, overwhelming it with a red hot question that needed to be answered, a question that he would demand be answered. Ready now  
he sought to lash out with the question, hurling it and other epithets at the stupid bastard of a baka sitting across from him.

All that came out was a whispered, "why?"

Fred drew in a deep breath. Now was the time to tell the boy. Now was the time to step up. Dear G-d it had been a while. But he could do this.  
He had to do this. For Naruto's sake.

"Why didn't I tell you? Why did I take you in knowing the entire time? Why you?"

The boy just nodded, his throat too tight to speak.

"Well... let's take them one in a time eh?" Fred said, without any real trace of humor in his voice. "First off why didn't I tell you? Well... the reason  
is... well I was a coward. Sure Sarotobi made a law, and yes this is his domain and so on, as I'm sure you now know. But I should have told you  
anyway. You had a right to know what was inside you, why the villagers treated you the way they did, and why you grew up alone. No matter  
what I was wrong to keep that from you."

"So why did you?"

"It's not much of an excuse, Naruto, but I was frightened."

The boy deflated even more, this time physically as well as emotionally. Fred's words seemed to suck out too much of Naruto's energy, the boy  
couldn't even put up a facade. It hurt too much. Fred-san was afraid of him? That could mean only one thing he really was a monster, a monster  
that every one needed to be afraid of.

All this ran through Naruto's head in the short amount of time it took two words to escape his lips.

"Of me?" he whispered.

Shit! Was the first response to run through Fred's mind at Naruto's whispered words. The pain was so evident in the boy's eyes. He'd have to  
clear it up, hope the boy was still listening.

"No. Not of you at all. Tell me do you remember that day we first got to know each other. The day I took you in three years ago?"

There was a slight head nod.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"We were attacked by enemy ninjas."

"Close... Naruto they weren't ninjas."

"But I saw them... they-"

"I know. But they weren't ninjas. I'll go into much more detail about what they were later tonight if you want, but first I'd like to finish answering  
your first question. But just so you know it wasn't you that I was afraid of. Those men, what they are, has to do with my past and the reason I  
came here in the first place. I was afraid of having to face it all again and I was afraid of exposing you to the same dangers I'd had to face. As  
stupid as it sounds a part of me just wanted to keep pushing off telling you, pushing off plunging you into that whole mess, and I had a perfect  
excuse in Saratobi's decree."

He paused letting silence sink in as he took in air.

"As for why I took you in... well to be honest, it's cause it was the right thing to do. That's it. At the time you were a nine year old living by  
yourself. Dear lord I almost throttled fucking Sarotobi when I found out. And when I finally noticed how the other villagers really treated you,  
especially those fucking shopkeepers..." at the boy's blank look he paused to explain. "With the exception of the ramen stand, and the bank  
all the places we stopped that day: the grocery store, the general store, your apartment... you were being robbed. At the grocery store  
they charged you double what the damn things were sold for. And as for that apartment of yours... well, I almost killed your landlord when  
I found out how much you paid a month for that. Naruto, leasing the space for my shop cost less a year than that damn hovel. And he  
had you thinking you were lucky to be able to get the place. The way you've been treated here is the most repugnant repulsive thing  
I've every seen. Where I come from things would be different." He paused for a few moments, breathing in slowly. "Anyway," he went on,  
calmer and slightly more embarrassed than just before, "it just wasn't right. So I did something about it. As for why then... well it was the  
first time in nine years that I had managed to pull my head out of my ass and escape from my own self misery long enough to pay attention  
to what was really going on.

"Now as to why the Hokage passed that law... well I don't know. I suppose he had his reasons. One might have been to keep the   
villagers from turning their kids against you. Maybe he wanted you to have a normal life. Maybe he was worried you'd run away if  
you knew. Truth be told I have no idea what the old man was thinking. I can tell you though that the day I met him, which turned out  
to be only a few hours after your birth and the demon was sealed inside you, he looked as if he was struggling with something.

"And finally as for why you... well... I don't think you'll like it... but personally I think it's because the fourth Hokage was a idiot."  
Despite the somber mood the look of shock on the young boy's face wrangled a chuckle from the merchant. "Don't get me wrong kid,  
from the stories I've heard he was one of the best of the bunch. Unfortunately it was a stupid bunch to begin with." When Naruto did  
not look amused Fred dropped the act.

"Okay, it's a little more complicated than that. I think the reason he chose you Naruto, was simply that he, through no real fault of  
his own, was ignorant of the ways to deal with something like the Kyubbi. See, around here things like the Kyubbi are rare. You  
don't deal with them often and frankly from what I understand of and have seen of the way ninjas are trained, you guys are poorly  
prepared for things like them. And before you start yelling and wake everyone up... I do know what I'm talking about. Things are  
very different in the West, where I'm from. The fourth probably only knew how to seal the Kyubbi inside a newborn vessel and in  
doing so destroyed himself. As for why you, well you're the only twelve year old around here born on that day.

"Now you've had a long day and a lot to assimilate, but you have a right to have your questions answered. So you've got a choice  
my boy, we can continue this conversation right now or we can break for the night and pick up first thing in the morning. Either way  
I'll answer your questions and then we can go over your options."

"My options?"

"Well... now that you know you've got a few choices. Choices that begin with do we talk about all this now or later?"

"I don't want to wait till tomorrow,"

"Alright then, but why don't we take a short break then? After all I've got a treat for you inside."

Naruto's face scrunched up. A treat? What could the old merchant be talking about? His confusion must have been evident because  
Fred just laughed.

"What?"

"For your birthday? You didn't think I'd forget did you? I just hope you have some room left after all that ramen. It's no big deal if   
you don't. We can always save it for tomorrow."

Naruto couldn't' believe his ears. Fred-san wanted him to stay... and nothing had changed, had it? He should be angry, as angry as  
he had been before, but the anger wouldn't come. Not after seeing Fred-san's face as the man had explained. Naruto couldn't help  
but realize that the man did care about him... and it wasn't like Fred-san really lied... and what was the use of pretending. Right now  
he'd forgive Fred-san anything. The man had remembered! Someone had remembered! After all this time someone had cared enough  
to remember and after the day he'd had something as small as that seemed to matter even more. Smiling, for real this time, he followed  
Fred-san into the house.


End file.
